Christian Speaker
WWII Concentration Camp Survivor's Journey to Forgiveness
Lake Forest California 92630
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WWII Concentration Camp Survivor's Journey to Forgiveness
| Name | WWII Concentration Camp Survivor's Journey to Forgiveness |
| Location |
Lake Forest, CA 92630
United States of America |
Charlotte Van Steenbergen was born in Bali, Indonesia, then known as the Dutch East Indies, in 1940. She and her mother and two younger siblings were forced into a concentration camp by the Japanese during the Japanese occupation of the South Pacific during WWII. After three years in the prison nicknamed "Hell," Charlotte and her family were liberated by US & allied forces. However, they were free for just 10 days before being imprisoned again, this time by the Indonesians during a civil war. After escaping this prison, Charlotte and her family fled to the Netherlands and then were granted immigration to the United States via the Pastor-Walter Immigration Act in 1956.
Charlotte is available to speak at Civic, Church and Veterans' events as well as high school/college campuses and cultural symposiums. When she recites her heartfelt thank you poem, "America's Gift," which is a tribute to her adopted country, there is never a dry eye in the house. This memoir is her first book.
MEISJE: I met God in Hell, is the riveting personal story of Charlotte Van Steenbergen, a survivor of a concentration camp so evil in its proclivity against its prisoners, that it was nicknamed HELL. It was there, in HELL, that Charlotte first met God, by those who called on Him on a daily basis, and those who cursed Him. It isn't until adulthood and the attack on her beloved, adopted country, the United States of America, on 9/11, that Charlotte's repressed memories of those dark days begin to surface. As a mere toddler witnessing the horrific atrocities committed by heartless Japanese guards, how does one begin to comprehend and digest such evil is possible? Charlotte shares not only what was a literal voyage, but an emotional journey as she struggles to come to terms with Survivor's Guilt and PTSD, leaning on the faith that was planted while a very young child in HELL. In our current cultural and political period of unrest, explosion of hate crimes, and animosity and intolerance towards one another, MEISJE, truly is written "for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). This story of forgiveness, triumph, and the assurance of God's authority even in the darkest hours makes this book a must-read for anyone seeking wisdom in their own journey.
